All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and former Rivers Commissioner for Information, Ogbonna Nwuke, who represented Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency of Rivers between 2011 and 2015 in the House of Representatives, had had his return bid scuttled when his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenger, Jerome Eke, was declared winner in the election that the Court of Appeal has nullified, ordering a re-run. Apparently satisfied with the turn of events, Nwuke speaks with Assistant Editor (South South), JOE EZUMA, on the re-run, his constituency development agenda and other issues.
You were full of confidence that you would be returned by your constituents in the March 28, 2015 election; but your challenger, Jerome Eke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was declared winner and had represented your constituency for six months before the election was annulled and re-run ordered. What is your assessment of the situation?
The election was faulty. From what transpired, there was no election, as there were no indices of credible election that could pass for civilised practice. We said so and challenged it at the tribunal. Now, both the tribunal and Court of Appeal have vindicated us by annulling it. I must commend the judiciary for saving Nigeria’s democracy from being murdered in Rivers.
With the re-run, you have come back to the starting block. How confident are you of winning, given the tortuous road from the time of election to where you are at present?
I had passed this road before this time, having been first elected in 2011 to 2015. I live among my people, know them and their problems and they know me.
In any society that respects popular expression, absolute power resides with the people. So, under a free and fair election, there should be no basis for comparison between me and my opponent. The issue is commitment to the people and the letters and spirit of your mandate, as well as your ability to offer leadership by quality representation.
My opponent is versed only in making promises he does not intend to keep and this has been exposed in these past six months they have occupied that legislative chambers. I will shortly give you what I achieved in my first six months as federal legislator.
You were not known to be a philanthropist, but a technocrat before you were first elected into the House. What brought about the metamorphosis?
Leadership is something that is driven by ideas, and ideas rule the world, not brute force and orchestrated electoral violence. I know that as a federal lawmaker, I am supposed to draw attention (of government) to the needs of my people and my constituency and help make laws that would bring about good governance and social order for the betterment of my people, and not to do projects or give out money. But at the level of socio-economic decay which our society has found itself, with massive youth unemployment, suffocating hunger in the land, there is need for some of us to intervene, especially if we have such opportunities, such as to represent the people.
In which areas have you deployed this intervention?
In my first tenure as House of Representatives member, I put up a rural development plan under Community Development and Youth Empowerment Scheme. With this, I instituted four-year university scholarship programme under which 20 students benefitted at N100,000 annually. I carried out the first phase of the construction of Igbodo-Akwuobor Road. I bought 129 motorcycles, 29 for the widows and 100 for the youths of my constituency. We sank 17 boreholes for three communities in Etche, Okomoko 8, Okoroagu 5 and Umuohiagu. We also bought and distributed seven vehicles to some Etche indigenes. The 150 tricycles, which distribution commenced recently with first batch of 23, had been packed even before the election, but because we had been battling with electoral malfeasance in court, there was no time to give them out. All these were done in my first six months as a legislator and they cost me over N90 million. We also initiated two bills which had undergone first and second readings.
